A Bride For Isaac

Genesis   •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Trust in the LORD

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Genesis 24:1–4 (NKJV)
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
VS 1-2
Abraham was 137 years old when his wife Sarah had died, because we know she was 10 years younger (Ge 17:17) than he was. Isaac was 40 when he took Rebekah as a wife (Ge 25:20) so this would make Abraham 140 as this chapter begins.
It says the LORD - YHWH Had blessed him in all things which we see this servant being the ruler or overseer of it all, What a honored position to hold for this servant (Eleazer).
Now earlier, the chief servant of Abraham was named Eleazar (Ge 15:2) -whether or not Eleazar was still alive is not known at this time because he had been Abraham's servant for a long time, and it is possible that by this point in history, Eleazar had already died. But if indeed it is still Eleazar, it makes the story that much more interesting, because Eleazar means "God, my help", and inasmuch as we look at this story of Eleazar going into the far country to get a bride for Abraham's son.~ Chuck Smith~
Please!, I beg you!, I pray!, i.e., a marker of emphasis, with a focus on the desire of the speaker, used to heighten a sense of urgency, intensity ( Ge 12:11), note: used in both entreaty: an earnest or humble request. or
This again points to the character of Abraham not demanding this to be done but requesting.
exhortation: an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something Put your hand under my thigh:
According to ancient custom, this described a serious oath. Abraham was extremely concerned that Isaac not be married to a Canaanite bride. (Guzik)
i. “The person binding himself put his hand under the thigh of the person to whom he was to be bound; i.e., he put his hand on the part that bore the mark of circumcision, the sign of God’s covenant…Our ideas of delicacy may revolt from the rite used on this occasion; but, when the nature of the covenant is considered, of which circumcision was the sign, we shall at once perceive that this rite could not be used without producing sentiments of reverence and godly fear, as the contracting party must know that the God of this covenant was a consuming fire.” (Clarke)
VS 3-4
I will make you swear not by me or my wealth but by the LORD - YHWH, The God - Elohim, of Heaven and Earth.

Among pastoral tribes the matrimonial arrangements are made by the parents, and a youth must marry, not among strangers, but in his own tribe--custom giving him a claim, which is seldom or never resisted, to the hand of his first cousin. But Abraham had a far higher motive--a fear lest, if his son married into a Canaanitish family, he might be gradually led away from the true God. (ROBERT JAMIESON)

You shall go to my country: Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor (Abrahams Brother) which is in Haran. a 600 mile journey that’s 965 km.
Genesis 24:5–9 NKJV
And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
VS 5-6
The servant (Eleazar) wanted to make sure he covered all his bases here checking to see what he should do if bringing her back wasn't an option.
Abraham said Beware: (שָׁמַר (šāmar). vb.) to keep, preserve; to watch, guard; to obey. Primarily means “to watch,” but can denote obeying in the sense of keeping or observing a command.
VS 7-9
He will send His angel before you: God would be with the servant on this journey as he was with Abraham on his journey out of the same land.
Isaac was the son of promise and would therefore never leave the land promised to him, but it was important to Abraham that Isaac would not find a wife among the Canaanites.
Genesis 24:10–14 NKJV
Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
VS 10-11
This servant provides a perfect example for us in how we should respond to our master Jesus and His commands towards us. Not with grumbling or doubt but with a sense of urgency. Jesus has charged us to go and make disciples (Matt 28:18-20).
I find it interesting he didn't starting giving water to his camels himself. Maybe due to seeing the women already on their way he had the thought to pray before anything else.
VS 12-14
It’s also interesting He waited until this moment to pray, not before or during his travels but only when he arrives.
Morning and Evening (Morning, August 4)
“The people that do know their God shall be strong.”—Daniel 11:32
Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to “have an unction from the Holy One,” and it is the Spirit’s peculiar office to lead them into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith. Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellence of Jesus, what he has done for us, and what he is doing now, we cannot love him much; but the more we know him, the more we shall love him. Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the “knowledge” of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
(Essentially, Eliezer asked God to guide through providential circumstances. Often (but certainly not always) this is a bad way to discern God’s will.
i. Generally speaking, circumstances alone can be a dangerous way to discern God’s will. We have a way of ignoring circumstances that speak against our desired outcome (or we attribute those circumstances to the devil), while focusing on the circumstances that speak for our desired outcome.
ii. But in this case, Eliezer established what he would look for before anything happened. He wasn’t making up the standard as the process unfolded.) -(David Guzik)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Bible (Chapter 24)
Abraham’s servant devoutly acknowledged God. We have leave to be particular in recommending our affairs to the care of Divine providence. He proposes a sign, not that he intended to proceed no further, if not gratified in it; but it is a prayer that God would provide a good wife for his young master; and that was a good prayer. She should be simple, industrious, humble, cheerful, serviceable, and hospitable. Whatever may be the fashion, common sense, as well as piety, tells us, these are the proper qualifications for a wife and mother; for one who is to be a companion to her husband, the manager of domestic concerns, and trusted to form the minds of children. When the steward came to seek a wife for his master, he did not go to places of amusement and sinful pleasure, and pray that he might meet one there, but to the well of water, expecting to find one there employed aright. He prayed that God would please to make his way in this matter plain and clear before him. Our times are in God’s hand; not only events themselves, but the times of them.
Genesis 24:15–28 NKJV
And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.” So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink. And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.” Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not. So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold, and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?” So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.” Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.” Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord. And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” So the young woman ran and told her mother’s household these things.

This was an earthenware water jar or pitcher with one or two handles that women used to carry water, usually on the head or shoulder. In the home, the water would be poured into a larger pot for household use—the pot would hold from 20 to 30 gallons. In John 2:6, the KJV speaks of a water pot holding two or three firkins; a firkin is about 9 gallons. If only one woman was in the home, she might have to make several trips to the well before the pot was filled—unless she had servants to get the water for her. There was an advantage, therefore, for the town to be built close to the well, but not so close that the dust stirred up in the town’s streets would dirty the water.

i. Considering that a camel may drink up to 20 gallons, watering ten camels meant at least an hour of hard work.

We must take heed of being over-bold in urging what God should do, lest the event should weaken our faith, rather than strengthen it. But God owned him by making his way clear. Rebekah, in all respects, answered the characters he sought for in the woman that was to be his master’s wife. When she came to the well, she went down and filled her pitcher, and came up to go home with it. She did not stand to gaze upon the strange man his camels, but minded her business, and would not have been diverted from it but by an opportunity of doing good. She did not curiously or confidently enter into discourse with him, but answered him modestly. Being satisfied that the Lord had heard his prayer, he gave the damsel some ornaments worn in eastern countries; asking at the same time respecting her kindred. On learning that she was of his master’s relations, he bowed down his head and worshipped, blessing God. His words were addressed to the Lord, but being spoken in the hearing of Rebekah, she could perceive who he was, and whence he came

The New Manners and Customs of the Bible (24:22 Earrings)
In the same way, the two bracelets were arm bracelets and would not have been put on Rebekah’s hands but on her arms. For this reason, the NKJV text in Genesis 24:22 says, “… and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold.” A shekel is an ancient Hebrew unit of weight equal to about half an ounce. Which would equal 141 Grams.
We can also learn about Jesus in this story, just like Isaac, Jesus' Father, God, sent His servant, the Holy Spirit, to bring Him a bride, the church. Just like Rebekah, the church is to be pure, have a servant's heart, and be prepared to leave. Just as Isaac was praying, Jesus is interceding for us until we are with Him. Jesus is like Isaac, but even more so, in that He loves us (His bride) and desires that we live with Him eternally by trusting in the salvation He won by His death on the cross for our sins. Let’s remember to always put our trust in the Lord for all of our needs.
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